The Angelic Demon
by Oswald27
Summary: Hiei, while bored, discovers that he may not be as essential to the group as he once thought. Determined to make himself useful, he ends up saving a young girl, Paige, from being murdered. Convinced he's her guardian angel, the family insists that he stays until his wounds heal. How long can Hiei live out the lie she created? Will the family ever realize that the angel is a demon?
1. The Wicked Angel

Chapter 1: The Wicked Angel

Author Notes:

Greetings! How are you doing? This is a story I thought of awhile back, and I've finally gotten around to writing and editing it. I am always open to suggestions and criticism, because that's how writers improve! I always try to have impeccable grammar and spelling, but I am human, and I'm prone to making mistakes. So if you see one, just point it out and I'll go right in and edit it, but I'll try to limit my mistakes. I do have a distinct writing style that I use most often, and I'll almost always write in 3rd person omniscient, which is a point of view. It enables the readers to be all-knowing gods, knowing all of the thoughts, actions, and emotions of all of the characters. I find this style the easiest.

I very rarely go into first person, but if requested I may attempt it for a small portion of a story, simply because I am not very talented with it. This story takes place in the Yu Yu Hakusho world, and all of the characters that appear in the show keep their personalities and appearances, and I do my best to keep them in character in my writings. This particular story will take place after the Dark Tournament Ark, but before the Chapter Black Ark, actually, in my story, Sensui was never born, and the ark never happened. I invite you to read my story, and enjoy it to the greatest extent possible.

-Nat

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho

The wicked Angel

I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.

~Michelangelo

It was about a week after the Urameshi team dominated the dark tournament, and Hiei was already bored. Not terribly bored, where one does extreme things to alleviate it, and ends up creating a situation that is decidedly not boring, things have simply been uneventful, and Hiei found that he had too much time on his hands. He continued to train every day, as was his custom, but he now only trained enough to maintain his skills, he lost his interest in improving. He needed a challenge, a reason to improve, and he found himself without one, and his progress has hit an impasse. This wasn't terribly alarming, throughout his life there were periods where he trained more than others, and he hasn't completely abandoned his training, within a decade he would reach upper S-class, and, knowing Yuskue and Kuwabara, they will create a compromising situation, and he will be forced to train very hard, very soon.

Besides, didn't he deserve a break? After the stress of saving the team's behind every battle, watching his team members struck down into the dirt, mastering the dragon of the darkness flame, and simply putting up with the fools Koenma assigned him too, he should get several months to recuperate. Unfortunately, demons didn't follow a schedule as to when they attack the human world, and are unlikely to in the near future. If another demon is hell-bent on taking over the human world, he'll have to respect their goal and take them out. He certainly couldn't leave the demons to the fools and Kurama. Yuskue and Kuwabara will make rash and audacious decisions, and Kurama won't attack until he has completely mapped out the opponents strategy, an annoying habit if you are half-killed in the process.

That's where he comes in. He doesn't make rash decisions that aren't justified, and that lead the entire group into danger, nor does he wait for the opponent to attack him first. He gets in and gets out. He knows himself well. The faster he can finish a battle, the higher his chance of success. Every minute that passes decreases his chances of winning exponentially, unlike Kurama, that was part of the reason they fought so well together.

He was currently leaning against the trunk of a tree on the outskirts of the city, watching the humans going about their everyday lives. They weren't fighting, killing, or doing anything remotely interesting. They just walked past each other and continued on with their mundane daily lives. Hiei couldn't believe he had resorted to people-watching to ease his boredom, relying on humans for anything was a sign of weakness. Yet being up in the branches, leaning against the trunk of the tree, he didn't feel inclined to move, he was strangely comfortable in his current position.

Being comfortable felt unusual to him, in demon world letting your guard down could be disastrous, let alone fatal. Entire clans could be destroyed because of a lazy guard. Yet in the human world, there weren't any humans more powerful than him, and all demons powerful enough to matter couldn't get through the barrier, so he was left with little enemies. Of course, there were always the crazy ones wanting to take over the human world, but the whole group was aggregated when those types of situations arrived. There were no reasons not to relax, it just simply didn't feel natural.

He grew up feeling tense and he never let his guard down, that was the primary reason he was still alive, or so he liked to think. Relying on friends was a weakness after all, and he would never admit how much he depended on them. Too much, in his mind. They were probably the only reason he was alive, and they would have a good laugh about that if they found out. Kurama most likely already knew about his weakness, and hasn't shared it yet, much to his confusion. Even trapped inside of a human body, Kurama was still a demon, and demons love to exploit weaknesses, especially a strategist like Kurama. Perhaps Kurama wanted to keep him guessing, or unbalanced, unsure if his secret was out, or maybe he just never had the time.

Perhaps he was weaker than he thought, if he has to depend on others so much. Despite his appearance, he never could have taken the Toguro brothers, he could barely take on Bui. Was he the weakest on the team? Well, he certainly could never compete with Kurama, his mind was greater than his, and if the fox got his physical strength higher than now, combined with his strategy and intellect, Hiei could never defeat him. But what about the humans? Yuskue was special, certainly, but he had no excuse. Yuskue was stronger than him, and he wasn't training to improve? The branches felt less comfortable now. But Kuwabara? He could make his spirit sword, had very high spiritual awareness, and was always ready to help out a friend. Kuwabara may not be physically, or mentally stronger than him, but his compassion made him very valuable to the team, more than him anyway.

Well, he was no longer in an alliance with the humans anyway, so it doesn't make a difference. He helped a lot during the tournament. Well, he used the 'dragon of the darkness flame' way earlier than he wanted to, and became gravely injured and crippled. How many fights did he actually fight in? 4? He won all of his fights, but that hardly mattered in the grand scheme of things. Now he was weak, and training probably wouldn't help the problem, everyone else would become stronger as well, he would always be the weakest. Well, he would rather be the weakest of the strongest than the strongest of the weakest. He should train, it always clears his mind. The sun was at its peak in the sky now, if he was going to do something, he ought to do it before it gets dark.

Hiei stood, and looked at the slumbering city. The humans had stopped walking along the sidewalks now, except for a few stragglers that slept in this morning, who were sprinting across the roads. Pathetic humans. What was he doing now? What was his plan? He didn't have the answer to these, and flopped right back down against the tree trunk.

"Yo! Hiei!"

Hiei looked down at the call of his name. At the base of the tree stood Yuskue, Kuwabara, Botan and Kurama. They all had an expectant look on their faces, they wanted something from him. Great. He was just about to figure out his life plan and the fools come. He was going to make Koenma pay. He would have to get out of the habit of threatening others if he couldn't carry out the threat. He'll worry about it later. He jumped down from the tree, and landed in front of them.

"What?" He asked, he wasn't in the mood to deal with the idiots, especially idiots that he recently found out were stronger than him. Kurama looked at him curiously, while Yuskue and Kuwabara looked unaffected by his icy tone.

"Well you're in a good mood today, Hiei." Kuwabara commented dryly.

"Koenma called." Yuskue informed him. "He wants us to take out a couple of gangs in demon world. He said you know the streets pretty well."

"And," Botan added. "Your Jagan eye would be a big help in finding the gangs."

They were all valid points, and Hiei knew that. He grew up as an orphan on some of the worst streets in the demon world, and gained a reputation on all of them as someone you don't want to mess with. But the whole gang had also gained a similar reputation by winning the dark tournament, rendering the point useless. No one would mess with the spirit detective, Yoko Kurama, and the spiritually powered human all in one go if they had half a brain, and half a brain tends to come with the 'become more powerful' package, so the whole team really shouldn't have any troubles. Kuwabara and Kurama were also very spiritually aware, and they would be able to find the gangs without his help. They had no argument as to why he should accompany them. Of course, he wasn't going to explain his entire thought process to them, and decided on a shorter, more eloquent answer.

"No." He said. Kurama simply raised an eyebrow at his answer, he was trying to decipher what Hiei was thinking with the little given to him. Botan looked frustrated, and the humans looked annoyed.

"Please, Hiei?" Botan asked, she was ready to go into bribing mode. Koenma told Botan what to say in case Hiei was being his usual self, and she was ready to pull out the big guns. The group couldn't defeat the gangs without Hiei.

'Hiei looks stressed,' Kurama noted. 'Perhaps not stressed, confused, maybe? Annoyed? No, not annoyed. Well, it was definitely a negative emotion. But what could have caused it? He was not sporting the usual smirk or glare, he looked, defeated? Unconfident. Yes, that was it. Unconfident. What a strange emotion for Hiei to have. He hasn't seen a moment where Hiei wasn't cocky and confident. What on earth could have caused such a big personality change? Did he know something he didn't? Well, this was a delicate situation. He couldn't suddenly blurt out that Hiei was feeling unconfident, but he couldn't let the situation pass without saying something. Hiei was his best friend after all. But how to phrase it…?'

"I wouldn't be as much help as you believe." Hiei stated. He turned to leave, but felt Kurama's hand on his shoulder, preventing his escape.

"You look troubled, Hiei." Kurama said, and all eyes were on Hiei as the group tried to see what Kurama could. He looked normal to everyone else.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Kurama asked.

"Hn." Hiei answered, as he flitted away.

"Something is on his mind." Kurama said. "Perhaps he knows something about this mission that we do not. Botan, what were you going to say to Hiei to persuade him to join us?"

"Well," Botan started, preparing her speech. "We know that Hiei's father was in one of the gangs before he died. There would probably be information and clues that the gangs possess."

"I see. Is it possible that Hiei already knew this?"

"Not unless he broke into spirit world's information vaults. No one other than Koenma should have known about it. " Botan finished.

"If we were talking about you, Kurama, I would understand if you knew information about this sort of thing, and had somehow guessed which gang we were talking about." Yuskue said.

"But Hiei? No offence to him, but he isn't as smart as you Kurama."

"Quite the contrary, Yuskue. Hiei is far more intelligent than he appears. He does implement a lot of strategy into his battles, even if he moves too fast for you to see him do it."

"Hiei? Strategy?" Kuwabara asked. "Are you sure? Doesn't he just rush in and try to kill his opponent with his sword?"

"Well, yes." Kurama admitted. "You are slightly downplaying his strategy, but Hiei knows that the faster he can finish his battles, the more likely that he will win. If he drags them out, he will likely lose."

"That's not much of a strategy, Kurama." Kuwabara said.

"Oh? Well than would you be kind enough to share your strategy, Kuwabara?

"Hehe, well I just uh…" Yuskue started laughing.

"Shut it Urameshi! I'd like to see your strategy!"

"I punch 'em, and get lucky! I usually figure something out."

"That doesn't really count as a strategy, Urameshi."

"It so does!"

Yuskue and Kuwabara started to wrestle on the ground, and Kurama found that he missed Hiei in situations like this. Hiei would make a snide comment regarding the situation, Kurama could laugh without feeling guilty, and they bonded that way. He really felt uncomfortable saying something to stop the boys from tackling each other, but thankfully, Botan beat him to it.

"You immature brats! You are supposed to be representing the spirit world and Lord Koenma!" Botan shouted.

Kurama chuckled, and started to walk in the direction Hiei had run off to. He was having emotional issues, and as his friend, it was his responsibility to care for him in any way he could. Hiei had saved his life on numerous occasions, and deserved it. He could faintly pick up his demon energy, about 10 miles away. A small jog, considering how big the city was, Hiei could have gone much farther. Kurama smiled faintly, and started to jog.

"How many lives have I taken over the course of my life?" Hiei wondered aloud as he rested in a new tree he found in the city park. '_Probably too many'_, his mind answered. If he wasn't helping the team in any way, he should make his life useful for some other purpose. Should he take up healing? '_No'_, his mind answered forcefully. He was right, becoming the useless healer that heals minor injuries and cries half of the battle is going down a level. A couple less levels than he originally thought, but it was below him nevertheless. Then again, learning a bit of healing couldn't possibly hurt anything other than his pride, and maybe he was starting to think on the right track. He should learn some other skills that don't pertain to fighting.

He should also work on his spiritual awareness. That would help in battles and in the field. Or cartography, that would be useful as well. When you get right down to it, there were a lot of skills to master in one's lifetime. His swordsmanship needed some work as well. Becoming more precise at cutting things would help too. How could he practice all of these things? Kurama said it was rude to practice cutting techniques on other people's property unless it was helpful. He looked at some resident housing near the park that had no cars in the driveways. He would find a way to be helpful, both to humans and his team.


	2. The Lifesaving Demon

Author Notes:

Hello! This is the next chapter, so I hope you enjoy it! I've been told about my excessive use of the comma,**(,)** so I tried to use the semicolon**(;)** more in this story instead of run-on sentences. I do try to fit as much information into each sentence as possible, I suppose run-un sentences is something I'll have to wane off of. Oh well, enjoy the chapter anyway!

The lifesaving demon

Angels come to help and guide  
us in as many guises as there are people who need  
their assistance. Sometimes we see their ethereal, heavenly shadow,  
bright with light and radiance. Sometimes we only feel their  
nearness or hear their whisper. And sometimes they look no  
different from ourselves.

~ Eileen Elias Freeman

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho.

Hiei leapt from his perch on the city tree and landed in the yard of one of the houses near the park. The yard was slightly overgrown; the grass was a touch unruly, and the bushes were unkempt. He quickly ran around the house, looking through the windows to determine if anyone was present. After discovering the house was vacant, he set his sights on the untrimmed shrubs. Cutting things would be a good way to measure his skill. Drawing his sword, he lashed off the overgrown tops, trimming the bushes. Making sure they were all uniform, he congratulated himself on his swordsmanship. His slices were clean and sharp.

He then looked at the uncut grass. It would be harder to cut this, and it was tickling his calves; It was annoying him. He leveled his sword a couple of inches above the ground, and quickly ran about the yard. In the time it would have taken a human to blink, the grass was cut. He opened a window in the front of the house, and jumped into the home, and was instantly disgusted. There were dirty dishes scattered about the living room, there was an inch of dirt and trash covering the floors, and he could hear termites chattering about. Time to practice his speed. Pinching his nose, he started tidying up, washing and drying the dishes, and using a controlled fire to burn the trash everywhere.

He allowed himself a moment to appreciate his hard work. The house had never looked better, and he was practicing cutting precision, speed, and fire control, and he was saving his sense of smell. A worthy cause, in his eyes. He then took the time to repeat the process for every house in the neighborhood, renewing some forgotten belief in fairies.

Hiei was resting in the shadow of a tree, watching a woman talking to a fellow neighbor. The mother looked far more relaxed than the last time he had seen her. Her hair was in a relaxed bun, and the sparkle in her eyes had been renewed. The whole week of cleaning gave her time to relax.

"It's been real weird, not having to clean up after the kids anymore. Fairies, I reckon. Took pity on a hardworking mother like myself, and makes me happy to come home." She said conversationally to her neighbor.

Fairies? What were those? Perhaps that was what they called him, and he was fine with that. They can call him what they wish, as long as they continue to let him train in their yard.

"I know, right? This fairy does a way better job of trimming grass than the guy I hired. He's free too. A blessing. But how do you know it's a fairy and not a well-meaning kid or somethin'?" The neighbor replied.

"I know, because a couple days ago I went outside to go to work, and I left my car keys inside. The house was messy when I left, but was sparkling when I came back inside. Even the grass was cut while my back was turned. No kid could clean a house like that."

Hiei proudly smirked at the dramatic increase in speed this training has awarded him. With the added speed, he may very well have broke through to A-class. He remembered that incident, he had never raced through a house with a sword as fast as that, and it was now a habit to time himself to see how fast he can cut while sprinting. He had barely finished before the women came back inside, but the look on her face was worth risking discovery. Astonishment, appreciation, and awe adorned her face, and that was reward enough.

The two neighbors both went to work after they were finished their small talk. Hiei was ready to take on the healing arts. There was an abandoned house on the corner of the street, and it was filled with dead plants. Flitting silently inside the house, he worked on concentrating his demon energy on the dead cells of one of the plants, and after a few tries, the plant was green and healthy again. He ran outside of the house, hearing a pained sound, and saw a bird with a broken wing. Having a soft spot for birds, he concentrated again, and the bird flew away.

He ducked into a clothing store, and picked out an outfit for himself. Humans became nervous when they saw a small child in a onyx cloak, and he couldn't talk to humans without them running away. After picking out some human clothes, he checked the tags, and left some money the homeowners have been leaving out for the 'fairy'. Adorned in his human outfit, he was allowed to walk down the sidewalk like the other humans.

While walking along the sidewalk, he saw an old granny struggling to carry bags of groceries. Feeling pity, Hiei walked over to her, and in the kindest voice he could manage offered his help with the groceries.

"Do you need any help carrying those?" Hiei asked.

"What a sweet boy!" The granny replied while shoving all of the bags to Hiei.

"I have some cookies I made this morning in my cookie jar." She told him.

"You're welcome to have some when we get home." Hiei nodded, but he couldn't be seen under the bags of food. The house wasn't that far away, the granny actually carried her goods most of the way herself before he offered his help.

'What remarkable strength for an old hag.' he thought.

When they reached her house, she unlocked the door with her key and invited him inside. She handed him a jar that had 'cookies' printed on the front. The cookies were still warm from the morning, and Hiei had a few. He had never tasted cookies before, and he found them delicious.

'The old hag can bake too.'

He was reaching for another baked good when he smelled blood. Human blood. While the granny excused herself to go to the bathroom, he took off the white headband tied across his forehead and activated his Jagan eye. Within the minute he pinpointed the source; The blood was shed at a farmhouse in the outskirts of the city. He could run there in seconds, but he didn't want to leave the old granny; murder amongst the humans on the other hand was certainly going to be pinned on him by lord Koenma, even if it wasn't his fault.

"I've got to go granny!" he yelled as he left. As he crossed the boundary of her yard, he started sprinting at his supernatural speed and arrived quickly at the farmhouse. He peeked into a window on the front of the house, and debated whether or not to help. A crazed man with bloodshot eyes held a butcher's knife delicately with one hand, and a box-knife with the other. He wore a blood-thirsty smirk that rivaled Hiei's and the knife had a trickle of blood at the tip. He was advancing towards a cowering family with a confident gait.

The family consisted of a grandmother, grandfather, and a small child; she was probably their granddaughter. She held a determined look in her eye not unlike Kuwabara's, and she had a small cut on her left cheek, showing the origin of the blood on the knife. The grandparents were terrified beyond thinking straight, and were pulling their granddaughter away from the man. Hiei watched as the man strolled towards them with a sadistic smile. The butcher's knife glinted with the sunlight coming from the window Hiei was currently peering through. The murderer brought the knife above his head, preparing to strike the girl again.

The girl's determination never faltered, even as the knife was swung towards her, but her grandparents didn't have her composure. They shrieked and rushed towards her, prepared to take a slash from the knife to protect their only granddaughter. Hiei knew this could end badly for everyone. The girl's grandparents were about to be murdered, and the granddaughter would be spiteful for the rest of her life, she would most likely seek revenge on the man who did it , or all men who populate the city. If he watched it happen without doing anything, he would be punished as well. Lord Koenma would find a way to pin the murder on him and get him into even more trouble than he was already in.

The knife continued to swing towards the girl and her grandparents, and the girl closed her eyes, waiting for pain or the screams of her grandparents. What she heard instead was the clink of metal against metal. She hesitantly opened her eyes, expecting to see a knife as the last thing she will ever see, but instead saw a person in front of her, sword in hand, saving her life by blocking the knife. The light glinting off of the sword reflected onto the figure in front of her, and she looked at the appearance of her savior.

He was short; he looked like a child, but he held himself in a way that children do not. There was no playfulness in his eyes, or any inexperience in his stance. He held his sword like he had been fighting his entire life, but was holding back, and his red eyes held a fierceness she hasn't ever seen in a human's before. As he parried the continuous blows of the knife with a masterful grace, she observed his spiky black hair had a white star-burst in the front of it, contradicting the blackness that seemed to consume him. She immediately realized that he wasn't human when she first saw him; he had an almost ethereal feel to him. A sudden thought rose her hopes to the heavens. 'He's my guardian angel.' she thought in awe as he continued to fight the human.

Hiei was becoming annoyed with the human he was currently sparring with. No, babysitting is more accurate. He couldn't kill the annoying human, that would break the rules that Lord Koenma set. He would have to knock him out then, albeit very gently; Humans were fragile, he learned that the hard way with his entire team being human in the Dark Tournament. He went on the offensive for a moment forcing the man to block his blows. He sliced with his sword with more force catching the murderer off guard; it was a simple matter then to knock the handle of his sword against his temple; the man crumpled in a heap at Hiei's feet.

Hiei turned to look at the family he had just saved as he sheathed his sword. The grandmother fell to her knees in a praying position with her eyes closed and her hands folded.

"Thank the Lord! Thank the Lord!" She chanted like a mantra. The grandfather was brushing strands of gray hair out of his eyes in an attempt to determine whether Hiei was real or not. He looked like his knees were going to give out on him; they were shaking. The little girl was looking at him with complete adoration, like he was a long-lost brother or something. She ran up to him and hugged him, and seemed ecstatic that she could touch him; that he wasn't a ghost or an image meant to trick her.

Hiei was content for the moment, the family was grateful and Lord Koenma wouldn't order the spirit detectives to arrest him for killing humans. He was able to inspect the girl in more detail with her being this close to him. She had red hair that was plaited into 2 braids that fell slightly beyond her shoulders in the front. She looked to be about 10 or 11 years old, give or take a year or two. She had freckles laying on her cheeks; she spent time outside frequently. She proudly wore a homemade dress that had many patches along the fabric; she tore her dress frequently as well. She still had a look of adoration in her eyes, but underlying it was a sense of trust and determination that dumbfounded him. How could she trust him, a stranger, to such an extent?

Hiei was going to ask the girl about it, when he picked up the scent of a demon that was rapidly approaching. The demon probably smelled the blood too, and traced it back to the source just like he did. The girl was still hugging him, so it was easy to wrap his arms around her and carry her to the far wall with her grandparents, and to set her down. She looked up at him with confusion, as did the grandparents, so he decided to answer the unspoken question with as little lies as possible.

"I've been sent to look after you." he told the family, but mainly the little girl, unknowingly confirming the adoration she felt.

"The murderer wasn't that much trouble to knock out," he continued "but a demon smelled the blood here, and is approaching quickly."

The family looked up at him with fear evident in their eyes. They were a religious family, and had heard of demons before. One coming after them now? This was worse than the murderer.

"What are you going to do?" The grandmother asked.

"It isn't complicated. I'll protect you by any means possible, even if it means killing the demon." Hiei explained. He thought that was what a good guy would say, being around Yuskue all of the time made him an expert on the hero type.

The grandmother opened her mouth to answer, but a crash interrupted her before she could translate thought to word. The demon had come, and it was an ugly one too. It had a red, humanoid shape to it, with pointed ears and a leering grin. It was at least an A-class, a fierce opponent. Hopefully, his training would come in handy, it would be embarrassing to die for the sake of some random humans.

Hiei drew his sword, and adopted a defending stance in front of the humans. He would have to end this as soon as possible. The demon smiled wider and took a step forward.

"How cute." the demon mocked. "One of Koenma's fighters thinks he can take me on."

Hiei visibly bristled. How dare he associate him with the spirit world.

"How dare you insult Lord Koenma." He said instead.

"Lord Koenma?" The grandmother asked.

"My boss." Hiei stated with as much affection as he could; not much.

The demon laughed and slashed at Hiei with sharpened claws. Hiei simply dodged and mentally made a plan.

'I'll take some blows to get in close.' Hiei decided. 'Then I'll take his head off for insulting me.'

The demon continued to attack him, and Hiei continued to dodge. Hiei decided now was better than never. He took a slash to the gut and along his arm, only slightly grimacing. He swung his sword at the demon's head with the extra speed he acquired during his training. The demons head fell to the ground with a satisfying 'thump', and the headless body fell to the floor beside it.

Hiei landed on his feet beside the body and felt the life draining out of him along with his blood. But there were other important matters to attend to, like the cut on the girl's face. He limped over to her, his blood trailing behind him. He held the girl's face by her chin and sent his remaining demon energy into the cut. The girl's eyes widened as she felt his healing energy and her pain receding. After the wound was healed and his energy spent, Hiei gave a faint smile before dropping his sword and falling limply to the floor.


	3. Her Guardian Demon

Hello! I'm back with another update. I realize I have forgotten about Kurama a little bit, so I'll go back and talk about him. I don't know exactly how many chapters I'm going to write for this story to be complete, but it will probably be about 7 chapters long. It depends if I decide to add a romance or not. Speaking of romance, I'm leaning towards not including any relationships not already present and accounted for in the show itself, but I'm willing to take some ideas into consideration if someone (or my sister) asks for it.

Oh yeah, for the record, I'm an atheist, so I don't know what may offend and what doesn't. I'll just say this, if you're not offended that most of the characters in yu yu hakusho are referred to as demons and are the protagonists of the story, then you really shouldn't have a problem reading this story. I do take full advantage of my creative license here, since I have never met an angel or a demon, and my research hasn't brought up anything that contradicts what I have written below. If you are very religious or knowledgeable and spot a mistake with what I have written, don't hesitate to point it out. If it's to say about how 'I have no right to talk about this topic' and/or that I may be insulting or offending someone, please know that I apologize up front and that I truly mean no offence and that I ask that you to grade my story based on how it is written, and not by how offended you are.

Her Guardian Angel

Perhaps children's  
innocence,  
wherever it comes from, contributes to the fact that  
they seem  
to see angels more often. ~ John Ronner

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho.

Kurama was frustrated, and incredibly so. He had followed Hiei's energy for the ten miles, but to his dismay the energy consistently stayed ten miles away from him, no matter how fast he ran. There were two possibilities, and neither of them desirable. Either Hiei knew of his presence and was precise enough to know his movements and could perfectly replicate his speed, or Hiei was manipulating his demon energy to appear to be ten miles away from him; it was probably the latter. This meant Hiei didn't want to be found, and Kurama had to respect that. He had given up on his search when it became dark.

A week has passed since he went after Hiei, and he wanted to make sure his little comrade was in good health. He could feel Hiei's demon energy slowly increasing over the past week, and pushed back the concerns reasoning Hiei wanted to be alone to train and to become stronger. He had just soothed his frayed nerves when Hiei's energy disappeared last night. It just disappeared. It was nonexistent. It wasn't an incredibly small and feeble energy that simply showed that Hiei was tired or sleeping, he would have been able to detect that. Hiei's power completely disappeared without a trace, and that put him in a worse mood than before.

Kurama gently rubbed his temple with his index finger and tried to will the headache away. It was math class, and he was supposed to be taking notes for the upcoming quiz, but he opted instead to stare out the window and think of all of the possible explanations and scenarios; The teacher wisely didn't bother him and instead left him to his pondering. He didn't know what had happened, but he would go after Hiei once again after his schooling was over.

The bell rang, interrupting his thoughts, and for the first time, Kurama was happy that the school day was over. He talked to all of the club leaders about his unplanned absence this afternoon, and immediately went after Hiei. He still had his books and folders, and carried them with him, but the extra weight didn't faze him or hinder his speed. He jogged on at a controlled pace, and went to the place where he last felt Hiei's energy.

Hiei's eyelids weighed a ton, it was very difficult to open his eyes and to determine his current location. 'Darn Humans.' Hiei thought with a bite. 'This is all their fault.' Finally able to open his eyes to a slit, he desperately looked about at his surroundings. He was in a small country room with no windows, and he was lying on a small twin bed. No windows meant no escape; he was trapped. The humans have captured him, he probably fell right into their trap. He attempted to sit up, but a twitch in his arm was his only response. 'No use staying awake.' Hiei thought, and closed his heavy eye lids. After he rested, his demon energy would return, and then he could bust out.

Paige was currently reading her latest obsession, "Demon Mythology"*, when the priest arrived. Mr. Asher was an older gentleman, with his purple religious robes cascading onto the wooden floor and his metal cross hanging limply from the chain around his neck. He had lines around the corners of his mouth that indicated how much he smiles and how happy he is with life, and he was sporting his usual grin. He was an affable man, he does his best to help those in need and never demands things for himself or the church, and he has gained quite the reputation for being a saint. When Paige's grandmother, Mrs. Cathom, called him on religious business, he was only too happy to comply.

Paige marked her place by folding the corner of the page and ran to greet the priest with her grandparents.

"Mr. Asher!" Paige cried as she leapt into his arms.

"Ah! Paige! It is wonderful to see you! God bless you." The priest replied as he returned her hug.

"I heard what happened last night, Paige. It seems God has answered you and your grandparents faith, and I was so happy to hear the news. You were very brave. I understand someone saved you from your peril?"

Paige's eyes filled with pure and unfiltered joy, and with her heart aglow thought of her savior slumbering in the guest room.

"Oh yes Mr. Asher! My guardian angel just appeared right before me and saved me from the murderer! He saved us from a real big monster too!"

"Really? He just appeared, like materialization? The priest asked, jotting down notes into the purple notebook he brought with him. Mrs. Cathom smiled, she too was filled with joy. She had a question, however, and only briefly hesitated before asking.

"Mr. Asher? How did the angel appear right before us?"

Mr. Asher grinned, talking and teaching about his religion was one of his favorite things to do.

"It's very simple, and I'll try to explain. There are different duties an angel can be assigned to. The angel that appeared before you is called a Guardian Angel. Their job is to follow and look after the person who is assigned to them and to make sure that person doesn't die prematurely. The angel that was looking after Paige must have seen that her life was in danger and simply rushed in to save her." Mr. Asher spoke thoughtfully.

"I understand that much Mr. Asher, but exactly how did he appear? Do angels use magic?" Mrs. Cathom asked.

"No, angels don't use magic, although each angel is gifted with one ability. Angels live on a different plane than humans do, which is why humans can't see angels. They live on the spiritual plane, whereas we live on the physical plane. These planes overlap, however, and if an angel needs to, they can cross over to the physical plane to save a human. This drains all of their energy, and the angel must rest before they can return to the spiritual plane." Mr. Asher relied.

"Different abilities?" Paige asked.

"Yes." he replied while he ruffled her hair. "Each angel is given a unique ability when they are born, and I am very excited to ask your guest about his. Now, enough talk, I can answer more questions later. I am very excited about meeting the guest and seeing the place where the battle took place."

Mr. and Mrs. Cathom, Paige, and the priest walked to the living room where the murderer had appeared. The man was already taken to prison for attempted murder, but the family took great care in hiding the demon in the closet, and opened the doors for the priest to examine.

"My God." The priest said in response. The decapitated demon was wrapped in a canvas cloth and yet still retained its ability to send chills down the spine and to make all hair stand on end.

"We also have this." Mr. Cathom said. He handed the priest another wrapped up canvas cloth from the closet, and when opened, revealed Hiei's sword, cleaned of blood. The tan-colored bandages that were wrapped along the handle were still in good condition, albeit a little torn. The priest's eyes widened in awe and picked up the sword with the care used to pick up glass.

"This is a sword that befits an angel." The priest whispered. Truly it was, the sword was devoid of any fancy ornaments, yet still retained a pure kind of beauty that few weapons can obtain. It was obviously very well made with skill beyond any human blacksmith, yet the sword didn't seem to be the boastful type, and neither did it's owner. The priest took a picture with a camera and carefully rewrapped the sword and stashed it in the closet. He was ready to meet its owner.

The group walked across the hall and stood outside of the door of the guest room where Hiei was sleeping. Mrs. Cathom carefully opened the door and the whole group walked in to meet the visitor. To Mr. Asher's disappointment, Hiei was still sleeping. He had so many burning questions he felt he would burst if he couldn't ask them soon. But he could easily tell that the family wasn't lying and that their savior obviously wasn't human. He took out a special compass from his bag. Each of the points that would normally be labeled north, south, east, and west were now labeled angel, demon, ghost, and witch. He brought the compass over Hiei so that it was hovering over his head.

The compass needle spun around and around and the family held their breath. Finally the needle stopped and rested on demon. The priest shook his head in confusion. His trusty compass was never wrong, and this boy in front of him obviously wasn't a demon. What was going on? He thought of what could have been throwing the needle off.

"Mrs. Cathom?" The priest asked. "You said that the angel protected you from the demon you showed me earlier, yes?

"Yes, Mr. Asher." Mrs. Cathom replied.

"Was he injured?" Something akin to realization showed in her eyes.

"Oh, of course! That must be it. Yes, the evil demon swiped him good with those unholy claws of his! We wrapped up his wounds the best we could, but none of us are medics."

"Ah! That must be it! Some of the demon DNA from the injuries must be what the compass is picking up. Could you show me the wounds?"

Mrs. Cathom and Paige walked over to the bed and carefully pulled down the covers. There were bloody bandages wrapped around Hiei's torso and his chest rose and fell erratically.

"You'll need to change those bandages!" The priest cried in alarm, and Paige ran to get the bandages from the medicine cabinet. With the priest's advice and guidance, Hiei's wound was properly dressed and Hiei seemed to breathe easier.

"We'll need to wake him up." Mr. Asher said, and reached into his bag for another item. It held a vial of blessed, purified water. He had a whole basin full back at the church, but he carried a small vile in case of emergencies. He uncapped the vial and slowly dripped the holy water onto Hiei's chest.

'Darn' Hiei thought, he couldn't wake up now. 'Great.' He could hear humans chattering above him, and could feel them redressing his wound. Hopefully they would leave soon so he could resume his attempt at sitting himself up. Their voices seemed to stop and Hiei thought they left, when he could feel something dripping onto his chest. It was incredibly annoying, and the dripping was incredibly slow, agonizing in its torture. Kurama had a book about this in his library, what was it called? Chinese water torture? Something like that. Well these humans thought they could torture him without him resisting? He would prove them wrong.

The whole family lit up when their savior finally opened his eyes. He looked exhausted, and they all felt a bit guilty about waking him up so soon. He had a grimace on his face, which was actually a half-hearted snarl, but the humans all accounted the expression towards pain. His arms were twitching, signaling he was trying to get up. His eyes held restrained fear and pain, and the priest felt he should do more to welcome the visitor. The priest took the metal cross necklace off of his neck and slowing laid the cross against Hiei's forehead. Hiei immediately relaxed, the cool metal against his Jagan eye was soothing.

To Hiei it may have simply been the matter of cooling his forehead, but to the family, and especially the priest, it showed that holy things calmed and soothed angels, and that made them feel satisfied and content. When Hiei opened his eyes again, the priest was ready with his presentation. He bowed on the floor, and the rest of the family followed suit; except Paige. She ran to his side with a grin on her face and jumped onto the bed with him.

"Paige!" Mrs. Cathom cried. "Be careful! He's still wounded."

"I know, I know." Paige replied. She looked at Hiei with a grin on her face and Hiei felt slightly unnerved by her presence.

"I finally get to meet you!" Paige cried with joy.

'Finally? What is she talking about?' He thought back to all of the humans he talked to throughout his life. There was Kurama, Yuskue, and Kuwabara. Is she related to any of them? He didn't think so. His reputation hasn't spread this far, has it? Luckily, Paige answered a lot of his questions when she started to ramble on to him.

"I mean, I always knew someone was watching over me when all of those mean girls were teasing me! I always knew I had a guardian angel all my own! I never thought I would get to meet him! You know, I saw you in a dream once, and the events happened just like it did in real life! That's how I was so brave, I knew you would save me!"

'If she predicted this event occurring, it means she has very high spiritual awareness. She also believes that I am some sort of angel, and thinks I have come to save her. Well, she isn't completely wrong.' Hiei thought.

The priest and Paige's grandparents respectfully gave the pair some space. Paige told him about all of the times she was being teased and how she felt better when she remembered him, her guardian angel.

*I plan on writing a story in the future with this title. Free advertising!


	4. Hiei's curse

Hey! What's up? (I've gotten a bit more proficient in the language of teenagers.) I have yet another chapter, and I'm very surprised that people actually liked the story and how it is going. I have gotten 5 reviews, and all of them were quite heartwarming; I was going to mention their names below, but I realized that they may not want their reviews publicly displayed on this chapter, but do know that those reviews made my day. If I get an 'O.K.' then I might edit this and put their names below. Wow, my fourth chapter and still going strong…

Names:

-Sara NekoChan

Hiei's curse

The guardian angels of life  
sometimes fly so high as to be beyond our sight, but they are always  
looking down upon us. ~ Jean Paul Richter

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho.

To the average person(or demon), Hiei seemed to be living in the lap of luxury. There were humans that catered to his every need, and practically worshiped him. He could ask for whatever he wanted and they would do everything in their power to get it for him. They always wanted his opinion, well thought out or not, and took his word as law. Life seemed to be pretty good, on the surface. But to Hiei, this was worse than torture.

To Hiei, humans were the lowest of the low, having them as slaves would only hurt his reputation, and having them worshiping him willingly, well that was downright shameful. Having them taking care of him was insulting his strength, as meager as it was. Always wanting to know about what he thought about anything and everything was causing him to be the center of attention, which made him uncomfortable. He was used to his comrades mentally filtering everything he said, separating the nonsense from the facts, but these humans would do anything he said. If he told them to jump off a cliff in the name of God, they would, and they would thank God for Paige's guardian angel all the way down to their watery graves.

Perhaps the worst thing was being called an angel, and being praised for his goodness and good deeds; chivalry was the worst thing a demon could be described as. To his surprise, the family didn't question an angel named Hiei, despite how contradicting it was. Speaking of contradictions, they didn't question him wearing black, or his hair being spiked, or his eyes being red. Or that he had a headband around his forehead that he refused to take off. They just had blind faith, which he was content about, he needed a place to stay and recover anyway.

His wounds were healing; albeit very slowly. He had to use the priest as a crutch to be able to move around, furthering the humiliation. Hiei had tried to argue the first time; saying nonsense like 'I don't want to impose' and 'I don't want you to injure your back' to try to persuade the priest to let him be, but unfortunately, the priest was insistent, and he was forced to succumb. What he had discovered, made him feel worse. This family was dirt poor, and he felt something akin the guilt every time he accepted a meal. They were farmers, or they owned a farm anyway, and the plants were all wilting or dead. If he had more power, he could heal one or two of the plants, but beyond that, he was helpless; a feeling he hated.

Kurama would be a really big help in this situation. He had no way to contact him however, so the thought was meaningless. When he heals and regains his strength, he might find Kurama and ask him to heal the plants, and suffer the humiliation later. It wasn't for the humans of course, it was simply to stop the guilt on his conscience. Perhaps some God on vacation decided to make good fortune his, when he heard a knock at the front door and could hear Paige's light footsteps make their way to the door.

About a week after he started searching, Kurama had stopped at the housing district where his searching plant felt Hiei's energy and he started to walk along the streets. Using the Makai plant wrapped around his finger like a ring, he was able to track Hiei's energy. When he heard the neighbors talking about a fairy that stopped cleaning houses, he knew he came to the right place. Hiei was the type of guy to create these kind of situations. There was a woman with chestnut hair in a bun complaining to her neighbor about the messes she now had to clean up. Kurama walked over to her in a leisurely manner and casually inquired about the fairy she was talking about.

"Excuse me, Miss. May I ask what you are talking about?" Kurama asked.

"Oh, hey kid. We're talking about the fairy that cleans our houses." The woman replied.

"There are fairies that clean houses? Are you feeling alright?" Kurama replied.

"Don't look at me like that boy! For about a week there was a fairy or something that magically cleaned houses and trimmed bushes. It took care of everything, and we really appreciated it. But now the fairy is missing, and we were discussing how to ask the fairy to come back. Do you know anything about fairies?

"I'm afraid I do not." Kurama lied. He didn't much about fairies, but he knew a lot about the subject these two were actually talking about. His suspicions were correct, it seems Hiei really has simply blinked out of existence. He could feel a trail of Hiei's demon energy now leading away from the housing district. He excused himself and went along the trail.

Kurama arrived at an older cabin inhabited by a grandmother. Hiei obviously came here, but he didn't stay for very long. Instead of lingering around, he stopped at the house for a brief moment before picking up the trail again. He ran across the city to the other side and the trail of Hiei's energy slowly became stronger and stronger. He was careful not to run faster than the average fit human could to avoid suspicion.

Kurama came across a farm house in the more rural part of the city. He pondered how to go about finding Hiei. Did the humans find him and take him inside? Or is he simply hiding inside the house? Both would require him introducing himself to the family; he didn't have Hiei's stealth or resolve to sneak into a family's home. But what would he say? 'Oh, I'm looking for a small child with spiky hair. He also has an artificial eye on his forehead. Have you seen him?' Well it couldn't hurt, honesty was the best policy; especially when you can brainwash them afterwards.

Kurama smoothed back his hair and gave a test smile. Satisfied, he walked up to the front door and politely knocked three times. He heard footsteps padding up to the door. The door was opened to reveal a small redhead gazing up at him.

"Hello!" Paige said.

"Good Afternoon." Kurama replied. Hearing Paige answering the door, Mr. and Mrs. Cathom walked up to the door behind her.

"What can we do for you?" Mrs. Cathom asked.

"Actually, I'm looking for someone. Have you seen a small child with black spiky hair around here?" Kurama asked. After he finished speaking, the whole family narrowed their gaze and looked at him suspiciously.

"What do you want from Hiei?" Mrs. Cathom asked. 'They know Hiei's name?' Kurama thought. 'In what circumstances would Hiei tell his name to a human? A whole family of them no less?'

"I'm a friend of his." Kurama replied.

"He disappeared about a week ago, and I was worried. I can usually feel his energy, but for some reason he disappeared without a trace. His energy leads back here."

"How do we know you're a friend of Hiei's?" Paige asked. At this time, the priest walked up to the door as well. 'A priest? They didn't capture him to religiously sacrifice them, did they?'

"What's the problem?" Mr. Asher asked.

"This guy just showed up and he wants to see Hiei." Mrs. Cathom said. Now the priest was looking at him suspiciously. Great.

"Every Angel has a special ability they are born with." Mr. Asher said.

"Whether or not your ability shows you are a good angel will dictate if you can see Hiei." The priest said. 'Angels? What on earth did Hiei tell them?' So, they want a special ability? He'll give them a special ability.

"Very well." Kurama replied. He combed his fingers through his hair and produced a seed. Increasing his energy, he willed the seed to grow. The plant grew a stem, budded, and produced a dazzling purple flower. The family's eyes widened, but the priest was still suspicious. He handed Kurama a pack of tomato seeds.

"Grow one of these." He said. Kurama nodded and took the seed and placed it in his palm. He once more willed the plant to grow, and the family was finally convinced. They all bowed on the floor and asked for his forgiveness.

"We didn't know you were an angel too." The priest said, his voice muffled from his position on the floor.

"Oh, it's quite alright. I'm sure you were just trying to protect Hiei." Kurama replied a tad chagrined.

The family led Kurama into their home and stopped right outside of the guest room once again. Even though the family saw Kurama's power, they still wanted to make sure Hiei knew him before leaving them alone. Mrs. Cathom knocked on the door before opening it. It revealed a very bored Hiei laying on his bed. He looked up, and his expression turned surprised.

"Kurama." Hiei asked in confirmation.

"Hiei." Kurama answered, and the family figured that that was enough proof. They respectfully left, but Paige kept an ear to the door.

Kurama gave Hiei a once over to make sure he wasn't injured, but noticed the bloody bandages early on. 'What do you do in your spare time, Hiei?' Kurama wondered. Removing the bandages, he immediately realized that the wounds were poisoned. That explained why Hiei was here for so long. He combed through his hair again and produced a healing herb. Warning that it would sting, he pressed the herb to the wound.

Hiei hissed from the sting, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Now that the poison was combated, Kurama rewrapped the bandages and sat on the chair next to the bed that Paige liked to sit on when talking to Hiei. Kurama wasn't sure where to start, he had more questions than even the priest did, and Hiei was his best friend. He decided to start from the beginning.

"What was going on earlier this week, Hiei? When we had the mission to defeat the gangs?"

Hiei hesitated, sharing his feelings was never his strong suit, nor did he like to share them. Should he lie? No, Kurama probably already had an idea of what his problem was, lying wouldn't prevent anything. But telling the complete truth didn't sound very appealing either. He supposed that telling the truth with a couple of things left out, like him being the weakest of the team, and couple of lies sprinkled in would be the best way to go. Kurama was waiting patiently while Hiei was battling it out in his mind, but was becoming more worried as time went by.

"I was worried my skills wouldn't be enough for the mission, so I decided to train to get them up to par." Hiei finally said. Kurama decided that that made sense, but Hiei didn't say why he felt like that, but he decided to let it go.

"So you were training by pretending to be a fairy and you cleaned people's houses for them?" Kurama asked confused.

"Huh? No I wasn't being a fairy, I think. You said that I can't destroy people's property unless it's helpful, and I needed some kind of target. I tired of trees." 'Oh' Kurama thought. It was a good thing Hiei didn't call himself a fairy in the first place, he would have questioned his friend's sanity even more than he did now. He even listens to him when he says things. That's good to note. Kurama started to snicker, the mere thought of Hiei in a tutu with a magic wand and tiara was hilarious. Hiei looked at him strangely, wondering what the sneaky fox was thinking about now.

"Anyway, you then went to an old granny's house?" Kurama asked.

"I helped her carry her groceries, and she offered me cookies. I couldn't refuse." 'Just what the world needs.' Kurama thought. 'A Hiei hyper on sugar.'

"Why did you come here?" Kurama asked. "And why do they think you're an angel?"

"While I was at the old lady's place eating cookies, I smelled blood here in the house, so I went to investigate. There was a human murderer trying to murder the family you just met. I didn't want Lord Koenma to punish me anymore, so I saved them. In their twisted minds, they decided I was an angel sent to save them." Hiei left out the part about him actually saying that.

'Hiei saved a human family because he feared Lord Koenma.' Kurama thought 'Pigs are also flying and people are screaming 'Look! Flying Bacon!' and shooting them with machine guns. It's possible all of the sugar from the cookies was messing with his frontal lobe. Or still is. And now I'm dragged into this too.

"How did you get the poisoned injuries? I know that a mere human couldn't have injured you."

"An A-class demon came little bit later, probably smelling the blood. I fought against him and he managed to slash me a couple a times."

'What do you know? Hiei can beat an A-class demon. It seems the training has paid off. I'll have to warn the others not to upset him.'

"And then the family allowed you to rest here?"

"Yes." Hiei replied. His eyes were starting to droop, he would need to sleep soon. Kurama stood, prepared to leave.

"Could I ask a favor, Kurama?" Kurama shook his head in awe. Now Hiei was asking for favors. Maybe he should keep cookies on hand.

"Of course, Hiei. How can I help you?"

"Could you heal the plants in the farm? The family is always hungry." Hiei asked before falling asleep.

Kurama shook his head for the second time and walked to the door.

"Of course." Kurama replied again as he shut the door.


	5. A Demon's Dream

Hey! How's it going? I have another update! I can hear the cheering from my computer screen! (What do teenagers say now? J.K.?) Anyhow, I know that Hiei and Kurama and the entire cast are acting a bit O.O.C, but I believe it's justifiable, in my eyes anyway. If you have a problem with it, just P.M me and we can talk it out, ok?

A Demon's Dream

The greatest achievement was at first and for a time a dream. The oak  
sleeps in the acorn, the bird waits in the egg, and in the highest  
vision of the soul a waking angel stirs. Dreams are the seedlings of  
realities. ~ James Allen 

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho.

Kurama was tending to the new herbs he planted in the family garden while answering the priest's questions. The plants were for the cure to the poison in Hiei's wound, but the priest insisted on distracting him. The priest had a boundless curiosity that seemed to defy his old age and occupation. Kurama practically lived at the house with the family, and when Hiei tired of making up answers to impractical questions, he was the next 'angel' to go to. The priest never seemed to pick up on their discomfort when it came to his prodding, and continued to inquire to his heart's content, and his heart was never content for long.

Kurama hid his sigh the best he could while trying to come up with a reasonable answer that didn't reflect his lack of knowledge and ingenuity. What he came up with was less than satisfactory.

"Angels hide their wings by manipulating their energy and turning their wings into tattoos on their backs." Kurama replied. He began to inspect the basil for bug bites.

"Really?" The priest asked. "So both you and Hiei have angel wing tattoos on your backs?"

Now Kurama was annoyed. He hadn't thought that reply through. He could easily use the excuse that he was an angel in a human's body, so therefore he wouldn't have a tattoo on his back in this form, but he didn't have an excuse for Hiei. They also wrapped his injuries, and probably saw Hiei's back. 'You're Yoko Kurama, you aren't going to be outsmarted by a human, are you?' He asked himself.

"Well I don't, I'm just an angel in a human's body, so I don't have a tattoo. Hiei's is under his headband, instead of his back." Kurama replied. 'Nice save.' He thought.

"Oh." The priest said thoughtfully. "That's why he never lets us see under his headband. He's hiding his wings so we can't accidently harm them." The priest was writing in his purple notebook once more.

"Indeed." Kurama replied distractedly. All of the herbs he planted were in good condition, that was a good sign. He would be able to make the cure tomorrow. Perhaps he would have some luck in the coming days.

"Kurama, I have another question." The priest said. 'Perhaps not.' Kurama thought. He didn't even try to hide his sigh this time. He put on his most pleasant smile and looked up from the plants.

"What is it?" Kurama asked.

"How d-" The priest was interrupted by Paige running into the garden.

"Mr. Asher! Mr. Asher!" Paige yelled. The priest greeted her with a smile.

"Hi Kurama!" She said. Kurama gave a nod.

"It's time for dinner! It's tomato soup! My favorite!" Paige said. Kurama mentally thanked every god in existence and followed Paige inside the house. Hiei was already sitting in a chair at the table looking as bored as ever. Across from him sat Paige's grandparents, chatting about their most recent harvest. Kurama sat down next to Hiei with a sigh.

"How have you been holding up?" Kurama asked him.

"I'm bored. I want to train." Hiei complained while squeezing and un-squeezing his fist.

"You can't until your wound heals. You should find something else to do."

"Like answering the annoying human's questions?" Hiei asked, referring to the priest. Kurama sighed again.

"Alright, I see your point. We can leave as soon as we see the opportunity. If your wound hasn't healed by then, you can rest at my house."

"Hn." Hiei said, not pleased.

The meal was filling, the ripe fruits and vegetables from the newly-revived farm made all of their meals burst with flavor. The family said yet another long prayer as thanks for the meal, and was sure to thank Kurama as well. The priest was strangely quiet during the meal, he was reflecting on everything Kurama and Hiei had told him. Something didn't add up. Why would they be able to stay this long without a messenger seeking them out? Did God already know they were here? He was going to ask the angels about it, when the doorbell sounded from the other side of the house.

"I'll get it!" Paige cried. The floor creaked under her feet as she ran to the door. She threw the door open with a grin on her face. Standing at the door was Yuskue and Kuwabara.

"Who are you?" Paige asked. "Are you more angels?"

"Huh? Angels?" Kuwabara asked. He was about to ask what she meant when he saw Kurama walk into view.

"Oh, hey Kurama!" Kuwabara said.

"Hello." Kurama responded. The priest and Paige's grandparents ran to see what the commotion was about.

"Greetings angels!" The priest shouted. "My name is John Asher! I'm at your service." The priest did a lavish bow and looked at them with adoration. Confused, Yuskue and Kuwabara looked to Kurama, who mouthed one word. _Hiei_. Both Kuwabara and Yuskue understood immediately.

"Uh, Hi." Yuskue responded.

"Hello!" The priest said enthusiastically. "What are your names?"

"Our names?" Kuwabara asked.

"If it isn't too much trouble!" The priest added hurriedly.

"My name is Yuskue Urameshi!" Yuskue said proudly.

"And I'm Kazuma Kuwabara!" Kuwabara said as well. The priest brought out his compass, but to his dismay, the compass landed on 'human'.

"Hmm, so you're not angels…" The priest said with a sigh.

"Oh no, they are!" Kurama quickly said, earning weird looks from Yuskue and Kuwabara.

"You see, Koenma sent them to watch over humans and to eradicate demons. They are angels, they're just in human form." Kurama explained.

"Oh, of course!" The priest said. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"Where's Hiei?" Kuwabara asked.

"He's in the dining room." Kurama answered. "He's injured, and can't walk on his own."

"That's just like him." Kuwabara shook his head. "Getting himself injured and then not being man enough to ask for help."

"Oh, it really isn't like that-" Kurama defended.

"Do you boys want to stay for dinner?" Mrs. Cathom interrupted. "It's tomato soup!"

"Boy, do I!" Kuwabara said. He followed Mrs. Cathom into the dining room, leaving Yuskue and Kurama alone.

"You're awfully quiet, Yuskue. Penny for your thoughts?" Kurama asked.

"I was just thinking, How would someone mistake Hiei, or even us, for an angel?"

"Someone who wants them to be." Kurama answered. "And even Hiei wouldn't break a little girl's heart, you know." Kurama left Yuskue to his thoughts, who eventually cursed and rushed after Kurama.

Hiei and Kuwabara weren't at each other's throats as usual, they weren't even glaring as they usually did. An occasional smirk from Hiei and a determined look from Kuwabara were the only signs of hostility. The rest of the meal went by uneventfully; Only polite conversations and inquiry interrupted the comfortable silence. Both Kurama and Hiei were at ease; the attention was off them and was now directed towards Yuskue and Kuwabara. The priest had a renewed vigor as he asked the newcomers all of the questions he once held back. Using a telepathic link, Kurama ensured that Kuwabara and Yuskue didn't slip up or say anything irrational, while Hiei remained silent. gathered the dishes as the priest began asking questions; Mr. Cathom left to collect firewood, leaving the priest and Paige behind.

"So," The priest asked, "Why did you two angels come here?"

"Uh, we came to check on Kurama and Hiei." Kuwabara answered.

"How did you know they were missing?" Kuwabara looked at Yuskue with a weary grin. Getting the hint, Yuskue, with the help of Kurama, began thinking of a response.

"We talk to each other a lot, and when we didn't hear from them in a while, we just tracked their location and ended up here." Yuskue said, as he relaxed in his chair.

"You talk a lot? What about?" The priest asked, writing hurriedly.

"Well, we both work for Koenma, and we have similar jobs. Also, if a demon starts threatening the humans, we work together to take them out." Yuskue replied. "We're also good friends."

"Ah." The priest said, his hand a blur as he wrote as fast as he could. Kurama recognized this as a good place to end the conversation. Hiei looked ready to tear out his hair if he had to listen to the exchange between the humans anymore, and frankly, so was Kurama; The telepathic link was wearing him down. Yuskue and Kuwabara looked weary as well, Kurama knew firsthand how tiring being questioned was. Outside, the sky was painted pinks and purples as the sun finished its daily journey.

"Well," Kurama said as he stood up. "It's time for me to change Hiei's bandages, thank you for the lovely meal." Kurama swung Hiei's arm over his shoulder and carefully supported his weight. Yuskue and Kuwabara stood as well, wanting an explanation and willing to bother an annoyed fire demon to get them. Paige and the priest wished them good night, and Mr. Asher led a dejected Paige to her room. The rest of the gang was silent as they walked down the hallway, but after the room to Hiei's door was closed, and Kurama started to remove the bandages, did the silence cease.

"Okay, Hiei, What's the your deal? You just fooled a perfectly nice human family and tricked them into thinking you're an angel! And now they think we're angels too! What's wrong with you?" Kuwabara practically shouted at him. He was about to yell at Hiei again, but the sight of Kurama treating the serious injury made him feel slight pity; Although it was completely erased when Hiei decided to glare at him.

"You think I wanted this? To be idolized as someone who shows kindness to others? This isn't my fault, and I never told them you were angels; Kurama did." Hiei said, receiving a glare from Kurama.

"Don't pin this on me, Hiei." Kurama replied. "If I didn't tell the family Yuskue and Kuwabara were angels, then who would they be? Normal humans that are somehow able to pinpoint out location? It wouldn't convince them." Kurama argued.

"I'm not blaming you, I'm blaming the human family. When I saved them from the murderer and the demon, they thought I was an angel, and I didn't have the time to argue then. It's their fault for getting their hopes up." Hiei said.

"Wait a minute!" Kuwabara said. "You saved the family from a murderer and a demon? When?" Hiei sighed, this was the second time he would have to explain it. He looked to Kurama in hopes that he would explain for him, but was met with a determined look. He sighed again; He had no choice. Reluctantly, he started the story with when he was at the old lady's house, but with a stern look from Kurama, started from the beginning, but with a edited version. There was no need for the humans to know his inner thoughts and feelings, and what possessed him to start helping others; It would only be another weakness to exploit.

The gang listened to his tale, occasionally stopping him to ask questions; If he thought the question was worthy, he would answer them; If not, he would ignore it and continue on. Eventually, he finished with him telling them his adventures. Slightly humbled, the rest of the gang were about to do something along the lines of comfort, when the grandfather clock in the hall sounded eleven o'clock. Yuskue, realizing he missed dinner with Keiko and was late for the movie as well, rushed out of the room, with a "See you all later!" as he left. Kuwabara left as well, to provide 'backup' for Yuskue should Keiko permanently injure him.

Kurama had finished bandaging Hiei's wound in the middle of Hiei's retelling. Now having the desire to contemplate the situation, he too bid Hiei good night and closed the door behind him. His room bathed in darkness, Hiei tried to suppress a smirk. His favorite time soon approached; Now, he wouldn't be the one telling stories. As the clock rang about the house twelve times, his door opened right on schedule. Paige walked in with an energetic gait. She carefully closed the door behind her before hopping onto the bed with Hiei. His smirk was becoming increasingly harder to suppress.

"Story time!" she said. She laid next to him, her head resting on the spare pillow. A thoughtful expression adjourned her face as she contemplated what experience to tell him about.

"I've got it!" She exclaimed. "I'm going to tell you all about the end-of-the-year party for second grade!" Hiei's smirk finally made its appearance. Although he would never admit it, he began to look forward to these nightly meetings. The mere mention of leaving brought about negative emotions he hasn't felt before. But for now, he was content with listening to her stories.

"Okay, so it was the day before school ends, and Mrs. Martin brought in cookies and cupcakes and lots of chips! She had a whole table full of food! See, grandma and I made brownies for the party, and these mean girls tasted them, and said they were yucky! But then Mrs. Martin tried them, and said they tasted great!" She continued to ramble on about the party, and Hiei continued to listen. By then his eyes were closed, and he visualized the events as she described them. A content smirk was present on his face, and he was slowly falling asleep. Forcing his sleepy brain to continue listening, he only understood some of her story.

"And then I saw this big spider, and I was so scared!...Then Alana told me her biggest secret! It is….and…Ms. Julie is my new…So much fun!…" Hiei was hearing her stories in pieces, no matter how many times he reprimanded his brain. Slowly yet surely, he fell asleep, whether she noticed or not, he didn't know. All he did know was that she told her newest story with a vigor, and briefly wondered if she ever woke up her grandparents or Mr. Asher with her ramblings.

Outside, in the hallway, Mr. and Mrs. Cathom and the priest watched Paige talking to a now sleeping Hiei. Ever since the night they took Hiei in and wrapped his wounds, Paige would find her way into his room, and they have been watching ever since. With a smile on her face, Mrs. Cathom thanked the lord for Paige's guardian angel. They carefully made their way back to their own rooms, knowing the sleeping angel would protect their daughter.

Paige looked at the now sleeping Hiei and wondered how much of her story he actually heard. Looking at the clock that hung on the wall, she jumped off the bed and tip-toed her way to the door.

"Goodnight, little demon." Paige whispered before she shut the door.


End file.
